Residents have told The Post they've been left afraid of their area after a series of gunshots just outside their homes.

Police and armed officers were called at around 7.30pm on Saturday, August 31, to reports of shots and found weapons and bullet casings at the scene in Harts Lane, Barking.

One resident, who lives in the Colne House tower block, said he's planning to move away from the area. He lives with his son. The Post spoke to him just outside the block on the condition that his name was not disclosed.

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He said: "At first, I thought they were fire crackers, but when I heard it again, I knew it wasn't.

"I shut my windows so no bullets could ricochet back into my flat and hit my son."

Another resident, in her mid-30s, lives in the block with her three young children. "I feel unsafe," she said.